Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Kate Fripp Headteacher Emsworth Primary School Victoria Road Emsworth Hampshire PO10 7LX

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Ofsted remote visit to Emsworth Primary School

Following my remote visit with Yasmin Maskatiya, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 10 November 2020, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the visit’s findings. Thank you for the time you made available to discuss your actions since September 2020, when the government expected all schools to open fully to all pupils.

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Ofsted remote visit to Emsworth Primary School

This visit was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections are temporarily suspended. Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, we made this visit remotely to reduce pressure on the school.

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Ofsted remote visit to Emsworth Primary School

Ofsted’s visits to schools during the autumn term are not inspections. We are not giving graded judgements. We did not undertake the usual range of inspection activities and were unable to check other sources of evidence, such as visits to lessons or looking at pupils’ work. The content of this letter gives an overview of our discussions about what has happened in your school this term.

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Ofsted remote visit to Emsworth Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders for English, mathematics, science and music and your welfare officer. We did not speak to pupils.

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Context

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s education system is managing the return to full education for pupils, following an extended break in formal schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Context

In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

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Context

 approximately 1,200 schools across all Ofsted grades (outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate)  maintained schools, academies and free schools, special schools and centres of alternative provision, including those in cities, and coastal, town or rural communities.

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Context

The information from this visit will feed into Ofsted’s national reporting so that the insights can be shared with the government and the education sector. We did not find any significant concerns during the visit. In such a case, an inspection report would be published on our website and available to parents and carers.

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Context

We did not consider your response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer terms 2020, when the school was not open to all pupils.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 Just over one in six pupils had not been in school at some point this term for reasons linked to COVID-19. Typically, they were unwell, and their parents were initially unsure if they were showing symptoms of COVID-19. Other pupils have had to stay at home while they wait for a test result.  Pupils are studying their usual range of subjects, with some adaptations. Gymnastics is not currently taught in physical education (PE) because all PE lessons are outdoors. In music, pupils perform to a remote audience. Leaders are planning for teachers to be teaching the school’s normal curriculum by the summer term.  Teachers checked pupils’ reading skills at the beginning of term. They found they need to revisit previous phonics teaching with pupils in Years 1 and 2, and some older pupils, to rebuild their early reading skills. Children who have just joined the Reception class needed more practice speaking and listening

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

before they were ready for phonics teaching after half term.  In mathematics, staff are teaching the usual autumn-term lessons but have planned for pupils to spend more time using practical equipment to reinforce their learning, before they move on. Teachers are checking pupils’ understanding as part of everyday teaching. They anticipate finding more gaps later in the year, when they teach topics that pupils did not learn in school last term.  In other subjects, leaders are reviewing what pupils missed during the period when schools were only open to some children due to COVID-19 restrictions. They are planning for teachers to cover what they consider essential skills and content alongside this year’s lessons, to make up for lost learning.  Individual pupils who are absent from school are given more or less the same English and mathematics tasks, and a selection of activities in other subjects, as their classmates in school. They have been taught how to upload their work

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

online so that teachers can check it. Leaders plan to use the same online system as the basis for remote education, if ‘bubbles’ or the whole school need to stay at home.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

Thank you again for contributing to this important national work. The views and experiences you have shared will help to inform future policy.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Hampshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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